SECOND CLASS CITIZENS
LOVE IS LOVE
A PAPER ON GAY RIGHTS

By the time you are done reading this I do not want you to feel like your time has been wasted. I want you to be more informed on gay rights. I want you to rethink your opinion. I wrote this to speak out and to take a stand; to make a change. At first I didn’t think this affected my life at all. I am not gay, and none of my close friends are, as far as I know. Yes, I know gay people, and yes, I am friends with people who are gay, but over all I still did not think this topic affected my life very much. Now I think differently.

This paper does affect me, not because this is about gays, but because it is about human rights, something everyone deserves. To me being against gay marriage is like being okay with a club that doesn’t allow Blacks or Jews. Most people consider a country club not allowing Blacks, or Jews as being against human rights, but so does hating gay people, and that is why I took my time to write this paper and why you should take your time reading it. “Homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus there is no need for a cure” (- The American Psychological Association.)

When you stand up before class and say the Pledge of Allegiance, you finish with the words “with liberty and justice for all.” Have you ever thought about who “all” is? It seems clear that “all” is “all Americans,” but unfortunately, for many, “all” means anyone socially considered “normal.” At some point in time “all” excluded people such as women, Blacks, Irish, Koreans, and non-Christians. Now “all” is more inclusive, but still excludes people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, etc. Congress says their actions are fair and they want liberty and justice for all, but only eight out of fifty states offer gay marriage. How is that fair? Marriage, blood and organ donation, equal employment and housing, adoption, and being a Boy Scout/ leader are all things gays cannot do and that’s nowhere near equal. There are around 594,391 gay couples in America. 594,391 couples, but yet these couples can’t get married in most states (-2005 census.) “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” –Declaration of Independence.

There are so many people full of hateful discrimination against gays, but why?

“IT DROVE ME TO THE EDGE; IT WOULD DRIVE YOU TO THE THOUGHT OF SUICIDE TOO!”

QUOTES THAT HAVE KILLED
“All gays will burn in hell for all eternity. All there is to it. Its taboo and it’s against God. If you are for gays you are against God!”

Posted on a gay rights video:
“I literally was throwing up this entire video. Gays shouldn’t be allowed to be married. Like no one wants to see two guys kissing or two girls kissing.”
“Sexual preference is taught, not something you are born with. Let’s teach them correctly.”
“I hate you. God hates you. Your church hates you. Your ‘friends’ hate you. Your parents hate you. The world hates you, you fag.”
“That’s so gay.”
How would hearing any of this make you feel? If you heard this everyday what word would come to your head? Suicide?

The Bible
A lot of people use the Bible as their reason for hating gays, but why do these people think God hates gays? “How many gays does God have to put on this Earth before we realize he must not care?” Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say anything about same-sex behavior and only six or seven verses out of the millions of verses ever bring up homosexually. The Bible was written and rewritten by many different people, the chances that it has been misinterpreted are pretty high. There has been a lot of hate and blood shed because of the Bible. The Holocaust and the Ku Klux Klan were both Bible-based groups/actions. “Even the devil can cite Scripture for his own purpose.” –William Shakespeare

On September 22, 2000, Ronald E. Gay was finally fed up with being made fun of for his last name. Ronald walked up to a gay couple and said “I am a Christian soldier, working for my Lord.” Then he shot both of the people, killing one and permanently injuring the other. In July in 1999, Mathew and Tyler Williams murdered a gay couple, Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder. When in questioning Mathew said, “I had to obey God’s law rather than man’s.” In North Carolina a pastor published a letter saying “Gays are under the death penalty. If a person kills a gay, then the gay’s blood is upon the gay and not upon the hands of the one doing the killing.” This was published right after Matthew Shepard was murdered for being openly gay. The Bible itself has rules on sex that many don’t follow, so why should it be used against gays? When was the last time you heard of a bride being stoned to death for not being a virgin? In Deuteronomy 22:13-21 it says that that is what should happen. Mark 12:1-12 says divorce is illegal, but people, even Christians, are divorcing all the time.

It’s Not a Mental Disorder
Homosexuality was defined as a mental disorder until 1973, when this definition was finally removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of disorders. Until then homosexuality was treated like a mental disorder. Gay men would get shock treatment. They would watch a video that contained some homosexual behavior. Every time the homosexual behavior was on the screen the man would be shocked. “Homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus there is no need for a cure”- The American Psychological Association.

Let Me Marry!
On May 17, 2004, same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts. Slowly after that a few more states began to allow same-sex marriage, domestic partnerships, or civil unions. Now eighth states and Washington, D.C. allow same-sex marriage. The State of Washington is planning on making that ninth sometime in 2012. Yet at the same time thirty states ban any type of same-sex unions. These states are standing up and telling their citizen that even though they are citizen, even though they are tax payers, and voters, that they are second class and they do not matter enough to be allowed to be married.

Day One, At Last
What is Day One? To explain what Day One is, you must know about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. In 1993 President Clinton put in place a law that said enlisted gay men could not disclose their orientation to others. In other words you could not ask someone if they were gay and you could not tell someone you were gay. Many men were discharged from the military for saying the three words, “I am gay”. On the 18th of December in 2010 Congress voted 65 to 31(New York Times) to abolish Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. This day that President Obama finally abolished Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is called Day One. Now an openly gay man can be in the United States military and not pretend to be someone they are not. This was another huge accomplishment for the gay community.

I Am Not a Stereotype
There are many stereotypes about gays, such as that they are all child molesters, sex-crazed maniacs, sharp dressers, or flamboyant. Gay men can be stereotyped as very feminine or “girly.” Yes, there are some gay men out there who do fit this stereotype, but at the same time there are many who don’t. Lesbian stereotypes are quite the opposite. When you picture a lesbian you see a woman with short cut hair who is wearing more “manly” clothes. Bisexuals are known as sex-crazy and very confused. There are stereotypes for every person out there, but some are meaner than others. Remember you do not fit every stereotype that could be tagged on you; it’s the same way for everyone else.


We can make a name for ourselves too!
Ellen Degeners, Jane Lynch, Adam Lambert, David Bowie, Anderson Cooper, and Neil Patrick Harris are all people who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual who have made a name for themselves in Hollywood. Other like Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin, and David Cicilline all made their mark on America by openly working in Congress. Just because you are openly gay doesn’t mean you can’t be who you want to be. “I am not a second a second class citizen: you are whoever you want to be.” -Ellen

Small Town Full of Hate
In Stillwater Minnesota, where Michele Bachmann lives, gays fear for their safety every day. Brittany Geldert walks into her school every morning trying to block out the sounds of all the different names other students are calling her. She has reported being bullied many times, but yet nothing has been done. “Gay students don’t feel safe,” says one educator. “They’re bullied, shamed, and no one stands up for them because teachers are afraid of being fired.” – Rolling Stone. Local churches have ban homosexuality from the school, which has caused many to lose their lives early. Nine students took their own life in a short two year period, due to being bullied. Four of these nine students were gay or thought to be homosexual, and 700 others were checked for serious mental problems due to depression. It’s understandable when you are told it’s your fault for being bullied. “If gay kids weren’t out of the closet in the first place then they wouldn’t be bullied,” said author of “No Homo Promo” Anderson (- Rolling Stone.) This small town and many others murdered many middle and high school students by telling them that it is their fault they are bullied, that it is their fault they are hated, that it is their fault they are now dead. These students were murdered with words and bullying while teachers and school staff looked the other way. This school is now under many law suits from parents and the gay community.

What Do You Think?
What really is the reason for hating gays? Is it fear? A fear for something they don’t quite understand? I believe that is the biggest problem humans have to deal with, not knowing what to do or how to feel when you don’t understand something. It is time for us humans to stop hating people we don’t understand. Instead of judging someone, try to understand them, give them a chance and be humane. I am proud to stand up for gay rights. When government tells us who can love and what normal/good love is, we need to question what we stand for. That is not freedom, and I have a problem with that. Be on the right side of the movement, there is no legal defense against gay rights, there is no need to discriminate because of fear. There is nothing wrong with being you. Be yourself and stick up for those trying.

“It gets better!”-Jamie

“Bless God and bless the gays.” –Lady Gaga.

Love who you want, be who you want, it doesn’t matter who you are you are not a Second Class Citizen. It’s okay to be gay.